Labour defend "lower and middle" earning individuals and families.Not in RCT

Yesterday Leaflet was from Labour in the form of a faux Newspaper entitled Labour Herald promoting their candidate for the Pontypridd Constituency. Of course it makes great play of the Tory/Lib Dem cuts and rightly points out that these are.....

"Too much too soon and that they ’re disproportionately hitting lower and middle earning individuals and families".
Coincidentally I received my latest copy of Private Eye and in it “Rotten Boroughs"  has column points out just how much Labour in Wales are resisting the cuts.
They report on how RCT council of which Pontypridd is a part reducing the incomes of home care and nursing staff by up to 40%

In fact thousands of workers were threatened with the sack if they refused to t sign new contracts and when some did. In a gross parody of Neil Kinnock's speech

"and you end in the grotesque chaos of a Labour council – a Labour council! – hiring taxis to scuttle round a city handing out redundancy notices to its own workers".

RCT sent HR of officers late at night in order to bully reluctant staff to sign new contracts .

Meanwhile Chief Executive Keith Griffiths took home £180000 pay and expenses in the year 2009-2010 a 6% increase .
And Labour Leader Russell Roberts Received

£56,619 Plus for his role and


$20,092 Plus for Chairing the South Wales Police Authority and


$42,282 Plus as interim chair of Cwm Taf Health trust.


A similar story of Labour defending “hitting lower and middle earning individuals and families”. Can be told of the other Labour controlled council in Wales Neath Port Talbot.

This is the Party who main message this election is "Let us run the Assembly and we will fight for you against the Con/Libdem government in Westminster" despite the evidence of RCT and Neath Port Talbot.

At a recent rally in Pontypridd against the cuts Union members condemned RCT council. But the only political figure allowed to address the rally was Mick Antoniw . Nowhere in his speech did he condemn the actions of RCT council.The Unions still show loyality to Labour even when they are condming them. The idea that they can seperate the Part at local council level and National Assembly is not on.

From ther the Unions tat the rally he rhetoric was there but I can’t help thinking that if RCT was still a Plaid controlled council and they had tried to issue such cuts in the condition of the workers  unions like the GMB would be more aggressive.

And perhaps this shown that the address of Pontypridd Constituency party is GMB house Morgan street Pontypridd.

The actions of Labour in RCT show that their claims to fight for Wales and Welsh workers is just smoke. They do not deserve our support and they do not deserve to get our votes just  because we despise the Con/Lib cuts.

Conservative Libdem and Labour are all the same. They only cae for "Middle England" and the rest of us can go hang.

UKIP go for White vote

Two leaflets for the South Wales Central Regional list Today .

First UKIP.

Like Labour no list of candidates and can the emphasis on voting  the "White" ballot paper from a party that makes a strong anti-immigration stance on the leaflet be intentional? If it is its sick.

Apart from a few sentences in Welsh , English only . Makes very few specific policy on Welsh matters but what do you expect.

Then there's the Conservatives  complete list of candidates Photo fitted around David Cameron so no place for Nick Bourne

Although it has some Welsh Language on it its not bilingual as the Welsh part deals with different polices Do they think Welsh speakers will approve of something Monoglot English speakers wouldn't?
The part on the NHS shows a remarkable gumption though but the rest of the leaflet has very little to do with future Assembly policies and more with  promoting the fact that the candidates have done something for charities. I suppose its Cameron's Big Society

So two leaflets with little emphasis on Policy for the Assembly  one trying  for the disgruntled vote and one saying vote for us because we play in a charity football team.Not much vision here.

Where are the LibDem votes going?

It seems that the Libdems and Wales Home may be working on the Julian Calendar because this article by LibDem candidate Ed Towesend should have gone out on April 1st.

Nice try Ed but it is much more likely  that the Libdem are in for a hammering on May 5th, and it also seems that the majority of voters lost  will be  returning to Labour . In this we seem to have a similar repeat of  1987 and 1992  UK elections with the demise of the Lib-SDP alliance where the majority of votes lost in 1983 returned to Labour.

Votes in Wales for General Election

Party   1983                 1987                     1992
Lab      39.5                  45.1                       49.5
Con      31.0                 29.5                       28.6
Lib/All   23.2                17.9                      12.4
Plaid      7.8                  7.3                         9.0

It does seem that when people change from Labour to Libdem then they eventually go back and other parties do not benefit.  Indeed it seems for party like Plaid it the core working class  Labour vote that they must seek to attract and the idea that those who deserted Labour in Pontypridd, Methyr, Wrexham and Newport East  for instance are left leaning people with a conscious may well be mistaken and that they are more likely to be those who are swayed by the media attacks on that Party. For if they were so wooried about Labours swing to the right  then they would have surely done so in the Blair years.

What ever the case it does seem from the opinion poll in Cerdigion run by Aber students   that the Libdem  swing vote seems to be going almost wholly to Labour .However  Plaid's Elin Jones should benefit from this.

 Nevertheless the campaign has only just official started and Plaid should receive a boost from the fact that people will realise this is a Welsh electin and not for Westminster. As happened in 2007 where the first ITV poll showed Plaid well behind the Tories.

So Who's Standing?

First Leaflet I had for the Assembly campaign .as you can see it's for Labours South Wales Central regional list.

First thing to say is that it's fully Bilingua,l so congratulations there.

The context is rather sparse on proposals (We did vote for Law making powers last Month so where are they?

And there is the "We will stand up for Wales against the Tory cuts (No mention of possible Lib-dem coalition  partners though).

But the most curious thing about the leaflet is he absence of the names of the candidates on the South Wales Central regional list.
As the names of the candidates will not be displayed on the ballot paper surely the parties should should let us now on their Literature?

Labour are unlikely to need the "Top Up" from the South Wales Central list but it's a poor show.

 For your information heres the list according to the Welsh Labour website. which has to its credit again has greatly improved it's Bilingual presence).

South Wales Central #1
Jayne Brencher

South Wales Central #2
Craig Jones

South Wales Central #3
Alex Thomas

South Wales Central #4
John Drysdale

Can a NO vote save the NHS in England?

It seems the Conlib  (Oh alright  Tory) proposals for the NHS in England are in trouble firstly the Libdems voice considerable opposition at their Spring conference and Nick Clegg has expressed that he would like to reform the proposals , which would see primary care trusts abolished and GP's handed responsibility for commissioning health services.

This has led to to Andrew Lansley, the Health Secretary announcing that the  NHS are to be delayed to allow "more time for consultation",.

Of course we in Wales are not immediately threated by these "reforms" but be in no doubt that if they go through then Westminster due to the fact that they control the purse strings will put pressure on the governments in the devolved legislatures to copy these measures.

However I believe Lansley plans may change somewhat after May.

There can be no doubt that the Libdems are in for a drubbing on May 5th  in the local elections in England and Welsh and Scottish votes .

So there will be much disgruntlement amongst members of the Party after that date, and calls to quit the coalition. but if the AV referendum was lost then one of the main reasons for joining the Tories in Government will be removed.

So David Cameron will need to throw Nick Clegg a bone  and that could well be scrapping the controversial plans for NHS changes in England  thereby given Clegg a  popular victory.

I am not advocating a NO vote (the loss of Libdem seats may well be enough) I advocate a different method which you can see on the right.  but these proposals are a idealogical step to privatising the NHS throughout the UK and if they are scrapped after May 5th then Nick Clegg can have his moment of  glory and public appreciation  he certainly will not get many in  the next four years.

CUI BONO?

 L. Cassius ille quem populus Romanus verissimum et sapientissimum iudicem putabat identidem in causis quaerere solebat 'cui bono' fuisset.

The famous Lucius Cassius, whom the Roman people used to regard as a very honest and wise judge, was in the habit of asking, time and again, 'To whose benefit?

 Marcus Tullius Cicero,

Cui bono (Who Benefits)  is a Latin adage that is used either to suggest a hidden motive or to indicate that the party responsible for something may not be who it appears at first to be. It seems that this question should be asked over the "Dirty Tricks" argument over the Internet leaflet that seems tp have first appeared on the excellent Blogmenai Though he was not responsible for it and only commented. He gives a full explanation on how he obtained this on a latter Blog Though if like me your Welsh is not up to this you may need google translate.

 

 This is what Chris Bryant MP was referring to when he used . Parliamentary protection to make a attack k on the Plaid leader,  Ieuan WynJones Claiming that the leaflet originated in his office. This as led to counter accusations from Plaid that it is Labour who playing dirty tricks and that they are trying to lump Plaid with the unpopular (In Wales anyway) Conlibdem coalition . So who are the culprits? Cui Bono Who Benefits?

Unlikely. to be  Plaid there is no sense in them being even remotely associated with the ConLibdem Coalition  and would they really  be promoting  people to vote Conservatives in Clwyd West?  a seat they have at least some sight on. And surely Plaid would not be too unhappy to see the Libdems reduced in the Assembly and reducing competition from disenchanted Labour supporters.

Similarly the Tories would surely not  be advocating voting Plaid in Conwy or Carmarthen West or Libdem in Maldwyn  and Brecon and Radnor?. seats they would love to win.

So the only Party who would seem to Benefit from such a tactic advocated in the online leaflet and the United Welsh website (which does not seem to exist anymore)here coupled with Labour and Plaid throwing accusations at each other would be the Libdems who will are desperate to avoid meltdown in Wales.

But of course they are the most decent and Honest party in Wales and to never descend to the Political tricks of other parties so it couldn't be them could it?.

Back to "The English Problem". (The case of Team GB)

I have recently  written on this Blog on the "The English Problem" ,and how I believe this should replace the term the "West Lothian Question" when looking at the effects of Devolution, and the natural feeling amongst people in England, that they are suffering from a democratic deficit, in thatthe Celts can make laws for Wales,Scotland &Northern Ireland in their legislatures and still vote on laws which only affect England.

This a problem which must be addressed:But if it the solution as some propose  an "English Parliament"  then those backing it must realise that will be a partner in the UK and not the sole voice.

In an article in todays Independent on Sunday (IOS) Paul Newman writes an article entitled "Celts fail to embrace spirit of the Games"  inadvertently shows us the difficulties of Federal Union of Equals.

In this he attacks the F A's  of   Wales,Scotland and Northern Ireland for not supporting the creation of a combined GB for the under 23 soccer  team for the 2012 Olympics. To his credit he does write that.

"Maybe football should not be a part of the Games – a personal view is that they should feature only those sports for which the Olympics is the pinnacle – but at least football has come up with a format that differentiates it from other competitions, even if the presence of three over-age players in a tournament for under-23 players somewhat defeats the object". 

So he is not guilty of misleading people by omission (as many of his London colleagues have ) in that this would be international competition.  and we would see the International Stars playing. (and how many other Olympic sports have an age limit?) but he fails to appreciate real problem that such a precedent  could lead to . He may dismisss the notion that the sides would eventually  be forced by FIFA to combine permanently at all levels and he cant see the arrogance of the English FA in saying they will provide a side regardless of the views of the other Home Nations.

And that is the real problem the English FA clearly feel that the other governing bodies are not their equals and that they can make such a decision to side an English side as Team GB  and invite players from the other countries to play in their so called GB side regardless of the stance of their governing bodies.

And this is the problem with Federalism. It would only work if an English Parliament were to acknowledge it was on the same par as the other devolved powers which may happen but would take time and the English FA example shows that there would be reluctance. Though perhaps the very nature of creating a English parliament might leds to an acceptance of such a position

Perhaps the answer would beto devolve power within England, but. Is sense the mood in England is more towards  a Parliament. (Except in Cornwall of course).

But as Newman has shown whether the rights or wrongs of a Team GB under 23 team for 2012 the voice of England whilst it must be heard is not the only one that should be listen to.